CHAPTER 16
Success.
She felt a quiet thrill as she watched Jena being dragged down the hallway.
From now on, Jena’s position within the House Kreutz would be very narrow.
It meant Laura would no longer have to see her strutting around as if she were the lady of the house.
Although it was a pity they couldn’t immediately expel her because of the treatment, Laura was satisfied that Jena could no longer vie for her place.
“Hmph, she does have some talent for pharmacology…” Laura thought with a flash of anger when she remembered being shamed by Renée because of Jena.
At the same time she had a premonition that if Jena learned a little more, she would surpass Laura’s skill.
If that happened, Laura imagined she would become useless.
So Laura had committed a dangerous crime—using Renée’s illness to snuff out Jena’s budding talent early.
It wasn’t merely simple revenge.
“Think of how prestigious and wealthy the position of the Duke’s matron’s personal physician is.”
She could never let that slip away.
Paul Koeller, who had been dragged in as her accomplice, also felt a thrill watching the imprisoned Jena.
He planned to use this incident as an excuse to ask Daniel to cancel Jena’s assignment.
To him, Jena was precisely the kind of person who should be put in her place.
He told himself this wasn’t the first time he’d caused the necklace incident.
Everything was falling back into place.
The two of them were extremely pleased with the result they’d manufactured.
They met in a quiet corner of the garden to celebrate in private.
“She was pleading so pathetically, it’s a shame Sir Koeller couldn’t see it,” Paul burst out laughing at Laura’s words.
Then he suddenly asked, “By the way, is Her Grace really all right? I heard she hasn’t left her room.”
“It’s fine. There’s no physical harm, so don’t worry. It’s just a mental shock,” Laura answered calmly.
Paul, who had been secretly worried, let out a relieved sigh—tampering with Renée’s medicine had been a huge gamble.
Laura finished the remaining wine in one go and brushed her hands.
“Then let’s go back to pretending we’re on civil terms. You know what I mean?”
“I understand. That’s what I wanted, too,” Paul said.
They shook hands for the last time and parted ways, each dreaming of the perfect crime after cutting their visible ties to each other.
All the household staff had been ordered to gather in the central entrance hall.
The two exchanged a quick glance and then looked forward.
Their eyes landed on Jena standing on the stair landing.
Although she had been placed under a house ban by Renée and should have remained in her room, she stood there proudly with Aizen at her side.
“How have you all been? You’ve missed me, haven’t you?” Jena greeted with a bright smile.
Her flawless, slim face showed no trace of hardship.
Laura and Paul were taken aback by the unexpected sight.
“I called you all here because I found the real culprit who tampered with my mother’s medicine,” Jena said.
The gathered servants murmured among themselves at her words.
Laura and Paul’s faces twitched.
Jena scanned the room slowly with a sunny smile.
“I found decisive evidence on the fake medicine my mother was given. It’s so clear that anyone who sees it will immediately know the culprit.”
A cold sweat ran down Laura’s spine.
She tried to review every possible mistake she might have made while making the medicine, but since the medicine was no longer in her hands, mere recollection could not produce certainty.
“So, does that mean the lady didn’t touch the matron’s medicine?” Daniel asked, tentatively raising his hand.
“Of course not! How could someone as gentle as me commit such a cruel act? Right, dear?” Jena said, looping her arm around Aizen’s broad shoulder.
Aizen, slightly startled, did not pull away and gave a small nod.
Aizen’s public gesture was effectively Jena’s endorsement, and Paul and Laura’s faces hardened.
Smiling, Jena produced the counterfeit medicine bottle from her sleeve and shook it.
“Tomorrow morning, in front of everyone, I’ll expose the culprit using this fake medicine. So meet me here by eight a.m.”
Jena waved and slipped away into the dispersing crowd.
Amid the scattering people, Laura and Paul exchanged another look.
They met again in a remote warehouse behind the main house and raised their voices at once.
“What the hell is this?!” Paul demanded.
“How should I know?!” Laura snapped.
“If it comes out we did this, we’re finished! Right? We’re completely done for!” Paul panicked.
“Quiet! Are we the only ones ruined? Don’t act like I won’t be ruined too!” Laura retorted.
Their rising panic gave way to anxious whining until Laura composed herself.
She thought carefully for a moment and then said, “Think about it—aside from that fake medicine, there’s no concrete evidence.”
“It would have been our mistake not to retrieve the medicine.”
“So what now? Shall we go down with it since we messed up?” Paul said in desperation.
“Are you crazy? If we eliminate the medicine, that’s enough. No matter what she discovers, without the bottle it won’t matter.”
Laura clasped Paul’s arm and hissed at him; his expression slowly cleared.
“Before tomorrow morning, steal the medicine and get rid of it. If the steward brings it, I’ll take care of it.”
“Hah… really? Are you sure you can handle it this time?” Paul asked, half hoping she was lying.
“If you’re done, I’m done—so don’t doubt me. If you want the end of your life, go ahead and hesitate,” Laura said coldly.
Once they were in the same boat, their fate was joined.
Their faces hardened with grim determination.
Because Aizen had sided with Jena, it seemed unlikely she was bluffing; there must be something in the medicine.
They made a simple plan to steal the bottle and waited for night to fall.
That night, when even the mountain birds slept, Paul slipped out of the servants’ quarters and headed for the main house.
He crept up to the third floor, relieved that he hadn’t run into anyone.
He swallowed and gripped the doorknob outside Jena’s room with trembling hands.
‘I’ll spike her drink tonight with a sleeping potion,’ he thought, ‘something so strong she won’t wake even if bells ring.’
Recalling Laura’s instructions, he opened the door.
The dark room was lit dimly by moonlight faintly illuminating the rumpled bedding.
Jena breathed softly, as if in deep sleep.
Paul hurriedly moved, watching the woman wrapped in a blanket.
‘She used to keep precious things in her dressing table,’ he remembered.
He began rifling through the drawers.
When he accidentally knocked over a chair with a loud crash, his heart nearly stopped, but Jena did not move.
Gradually emboldened, he searched more boldly.
“Come on, where did she hide it?” he muttered.
He failed to find the bottle in the dressing table and continued searching the room.
When he opened the last drawer of the bedside table, the bottle appeared.
He’d found it.
Paul grabbed the bottle with a triumphant grin.
“This is it—once this is gone, it’s over.”
He muttered to himself, barely able to contain his joy at the thought of removing the evidence.
“Still, what was that decisive proof she claimed was in the medicine?” he wondered.
What could be so conclusive that she would be confident enough to announce a culprit?
Just as his guard began to drop, a voice that should not have been heard came from behind him.
“Curious? Want me to tell you?”
Startled, Paul spun around as the room was suddenly flooded with light.
There stood Jena, smiling.
“How—? I thought you were asleep in bed…” Paul stammered.
“Tada! The one in bed was Greta.”
Greta flung back the blanket and rose to her feet, then kicked Paul hard in the shin.
She twisted his wrist to pry the bottle from his grasp and forced him to his knees with a shove.
“Got you!” she said.
“On the scene arrest, Paul. Did you really think you could get away with attempting to steal the medicine because of what I said?” Jena asked with a tone of disbelief.
Paul’s face froze as he realized he’d fallen into a trap.
He hurried to explain, “Oh, it’s a misunderstanding. I—”
“No amount of excuses will work,” Jena cut him off coldly.
“You swapped my mother’s medicine and nearly killed the matron. You gave medicine that could provoke seizures in a patient with epilepsy. That could be attempted murder.” Greta said in a chilling voice.
“What? That’s impossible!” Paul protested, turning pale.
Hearing the accusation, Jena brightened and crouched down to face Paul.
“Then who made it?” she asked.
Paul froze and reluctantly blurted the name, “Laura did it!”
“Is that true?” Jena asked.
She wasn’t speaking to Paul, but to Aizen and the assembled servants who had been standing outside the door.
Among them was a very pale Laura.
Laura was dragged along by Aizen before she could resist and forced to come forward.
Paul’s lips hung open in shock at the success of his ear lier scheme—he’d thought the plan had worked.
Jena’s full lips curved into a satisfied smile.
